The present invention relates to a housing for a household appliance such as, say, a refrigerator or freezer, a dishwasher or washing machine, a tumble dryer or oven which is provided in order to be installed permanently linked to adjacent appliances or kitchen furniture.
Built-in household appliances are generally designed for installation in a recess of a unit of kitchen furniture, said recess having predefined grid dimensions to which the dimensions of the built-in appliance are matched. A small number of connecting points are sufficient in order to fix the built-in appliance in the furniture unit recess. Conventionally, a built-in appliance is secured in the furniture recess with the aid of a plate-shaped bridging part which is mounted on the top of the appliance, which projects beyond a front edge of the appliance carcass, and whose projecting area can be fixed to the ceiling of the furniture recess after the appliance has been installed in position.
Freestanding household appliances are usually not equipped with devices for creating a fixed connection to adjacent appliances or furniture. When such appliances and furniture are placed tightly adjacent to one another, they can shift relative to one another, giving the visual line that they collectively form an untidy, less than attractive appearance. It is therefore inherently desirable in the case of such appliances also to be able to create a fixed connection to adjacent appliances or furniture. However, this is more difficult than in the case of a built-in appliance, since the environment in which an appliance of this kind is installed cannot be standardized in the same way as a furniture recess, but can vary from one situation to the next and make other types of coupling to adjacent furniture or appliances necessary. It is therefore desirable to have a housing for a household appliance which allows a fixed connection to surrounding furniture or devices in different installation situations.